am so following. God bless you richly...

The First Five Minutes


Monday, 06 July 2015


'...The right words bring satisfaction.' Proverbs 18:20 NLT



What you say in the first five minutes can set the tone for the hours that follow. Good speakers understand they must grab the audience’s attention in the first five minutes, otherwise the opportunity to have an impact on them or move them to action can be lost. The same principle applies to your family. The first five minutes of a morning can determine how a mother will interact with her children that day. A snarl or a complaint as the children gather for breakfast can sour their relationship for hours. When a man arrives home from work at the end of the day, the way he greets his wife can influence their interaction throughout the evening. If he mutters, ‘Not tuna casserole again!’ the relationship can be put on edge until bedtime.

But it doesn’t have to be that way in your house! When you’ve been apart from those you love, you can do an attitude check and reset your mood before you walk through the door. It’s ok to share your concerns but, generally speaking, you should leave work–related problems at work. Question: Does your family look forward to you coming home each night? If not, why not? A little sensitivity on your part can go a long way, and bring you wonderful benefits. The Bible says: ‘An offended friend is harder to win back than a fortified city. Arguments separate friends like a gate locked with bars. Wise words satisfy like a good meal; the right words bring satisfaction. The tongue can bring death or life…’ (Proverbs 18: 19–21 NLT) Remember: it depends on the first five minutes.



SoulFood: 1 Sam 20:30-23:29, Matt 24:36-51, Ps 110, Prov 17:15-17


This is The Word For Today

Walk by Faith (1)


Tuesday, 07 July 2015


'...We walk by faith, not by sight.' 2 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV


A blind man with a guide dog ‘walks by faith’ in his dog. He believes that what the dog sees will be translated into a signal that tells him when it’s time to go, stop, turn right or left. And he picks up on those signals by holding the harness that connects him with the dog. Why does he trust the dog? Because it has something he doesn’t have: sight. And it’s the same with you and God. Today it might be unclear where God is taking you. That’s why the blind man must hold the harness and stay con-nected to the dog. He may wonder, ‘Why am I stopping at this corner so long?’ Because there’s traffic coming and he’s being protected from unseen danger. God says, ‘I will bring the blind by a way they did not know…I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, and not forsake them.’ (Isaiah 42:16 NKJV).


God has your tomorrow already planned out, even though you haven’t been there yet. He works outside of time, so He’s not held back by the limitations we labour with. Paul writes, ‘I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can see something of the future He has called you to share…I pray that you will begin to understand how incredibly great His power is to help those who believe Him. It is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated Him in the place of honour at God’s right hand…’ (Ephesians 1:18–20 TLB)



SoulFood: 1 Sam 24-26, Matt 25:1-13, Ps 122, Prov 17:18-21



This is The Word For Today

Walk by Faith (2)


Wednesday, 08 July 2015


'...We walk by faith, not by sight.' 2 Corinthians 5:7 NKJV




When you decide to fly to a certain destination, these things all have to work together:
(1) You must identify the right airline and flight schedule that will get you to your intended destination.
(2) The plane must operate on a timetable that tells you when it’s leaving and when it’s arriving, and that the pilot has the route worked out in advance.
(3) The airline has to set a price you can afford to pay. Then they put your name in a computer, and everything is ready to go.

However, here’s what’s not going to happen when you arrive at the airport. You’re not going to ask them to explain how the plane works; what buttons the pilot plans to push and what the equipment will do when he or she pushes them. You’re not going to check on the route they plan to take, or ask how fast they plan to fly, or how high, or whether the pilot plans to fly by manual control or autopilot. You’re not going to argue about the price after you’ve already made your reservation and paid your fare. Why? Because you’re confident that the equipment is sound and the pilot is experienced; you know you’ll safely reach your destination. You say, ‘What if the plane goes down?’ If you’re a redeemed child of God, you go up! ‘…to depart, and to be with Christ …is far better.’ (Philippians 1:23 NKJV) Either way, you win. Basically, you put your trust in the plane, the pilot, and the airline. Today God is asking you to do the same with Him—no more and no less!



SoulFood: 1 Sam 27-31, Matt 25:14-30, Ps 137, Prov 17:22-23



This is The Word For Today

THE WORD FOR TODAY Concerned About Your Weight?
Thursday, 09 July 2015 01:05 '...Glorify God in your body...' 1 Corinthians 6:20 NKJV
Here are seven principles for dealing with a weight problem:
(1) Realise that your body is not your own. ‘…your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you…therefore glorify God in your body.’ ( 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 NKJV) Remind yourself that you’re the manager of a body God has entrusted you with, to do His will each day.
(2) Keep a food journal to determine how much you’re eating, or not eating. Focus on eating foods that help your body, and avoid or minimise foods that hurt it.
(3) Listen to the concerns of your loved ones.
(4) Check your weight against the standard weight charts to see if you’re at a significant variation. It’s easier to lose five kilograms than twenty.
(5) Instead of going on repeated diets, write down the kinds of food you will and won’t eat, and the portions. Yes, it will take time for your new discipline to take root and your will to strengthen. However, each day you do it, your self–control will increase until you start feeling so good about yourself that your old appetite begins to lose its grip on you.
(6) Avoid fat–phobic people with a judgmental attitude toward those who are overweight. Often they’re just masking their own insecurities and reinforcing your distorted self–image.
(7) Stay the course. You may have several ups and downs, but with determination and God’s help you’ll get on the road to freedom. ‘You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised.’ ( Hebrews 10:36 NIV )
SoulFood: Eph 1:1-4:16 , Matt 25:31-46 , Ps 79 , Prov 17:24-26

Learning to Overlook the Flaws


Friday, 10 July 2015


'...Love covers a multitude of sins.' 1 Peter 4:8 NLT



A person’s sense of self–worth is often based on the reactions, positive or negative, of those around them. So your words and attitudes can literally build them up or tear them down. Dr Paul Brand was a flight surgeon during World War II. He tells in one of his books of a man named Peter Foster, a Royal Air Force pilot. Foster flew a Hurricane, a fighter plane with a design flaw: the single–propeller engine was mounted in the front, and the fuel lines ran past the cockpit. In a direct hit, the pilot would instantly be engulfed in flames before he could eject. The consequences were often tragic. Some RAF pilots caught in that inferno would undergo ten or twenty surgeries to reconstruct their faces. Peter Foster was one of those downed pilots whose face was burned beyond recognition. But Foster had the support of his family and the love of his fiancée. She assured him that nothing had changed except a few millimetres of skin.

Two years later they were married. Foster said of his wife, ‘She became my mirror. She gave me a new image of myself. When I look at her, she gives me a warm, loving smile that tells me I’m ok.’ Your marriage, and other valued relationships in your life, ought to work that same way too—even when disfigurement has not occurred. It should be like a mutual admiration society that builds each other’s self–esteem, and overlooks flaws that could otherwise be destructive. There’s a Biblical word for this kind of commitment: it’s called love.



SoulFood: Eph 4:17-6:24, Matt 26:1-13, Ps 109:1-15, Prov 17:27-28



This is The Word For Today!

You Have A Sound Mind! (1)


Saturday, 11 July 2015


'...God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.' 2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV



No matter what others say about you, God says you have ‘a sound mind’! Many people live their lives believing that they’re intellectually inferior—born that way, and will always be that way. The problem with believing this is that you begin to live accordingly. Not because it’s true—but because you be-lieve it’s true! God created us so that whatever we really believe, we act on. So our self–concept becomes a self–fulfilling prophecy. For example, we may act stupidly because we believe we’re stupid, or we may act wisely because we believe we’re wise. So we must choose to believe God’s opinion of what we are, and by faith adapt our actions accordingly, until His opinion becomes our opinion! The Bible calls this ‘…the renewing of your mind…’ (Romans 12:2 NKJV).

This calls for an attitude transformation, and it can begin with a few small steps.
Step 1: Choose to believe what God says about you. Every outcome begins with a choice—an act of your will. No matter what your emotions say, choose to ‘…let God be true, but every man [and every contrary emotion] a liar…’ (Romans 3:4 NKJV) Whatever you’ve said about yourself previously, or whatever others have said, God says He has not given you an attitude of fear, ‘…but of power and of love and of a sound mind.’ He has ‘given’ it to you, but you must choose to believe and receive His gift of ‘…power, love and a sound mind.’ Memorise it, and meditate on it until it takes root in you.



SoulFood: 2 Sam 1:1-3:21, Matt 26:14-25, Ps 109:16-31, Prov 18:1-3


This is The Word For Today

I love this part that says " God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind..

wow.... it been a while

THE WORD FOR TODAY

Take It to the Lord
Wednesday, 12 August 2015 01:18
'...so the power of God could be seen in him.' John 9:3 NLT


When Jesus encountered a blind man, His disciples immediately began to discuss the man’s condition. They asked, ‘ Was this man’s blindness the result of his own sins, or the sins of his parents? ’ Jesus answered, ‘This happened so the power of God could be seen in him.’ Notice four things:
(1) The disciples were eager to attribute the man’s problem to sin . Satan will try to convince you that, because of your sin, you’re disqualified from
God’s grace. You’re not! ‘For He says to Moses: “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have
compassion on whom I have compassion.”’ ( Romans 9:15 ESV )

(2) When Jesus healed him, the neighbours
wanted to debate, not celebrate. They started asking, ‘“…Isn’t this the man who used to sit and beg?” Some said
he was… others said, “No… ”’ ( John 9:8–9 NLT )

(3) His healing failed the ‘religiosity test’ because the Pharisees
said, “… This man Jesus is not from God for He is working on the Sabbath… ”’ ( John 9:16 NLT )

(4) Even the man’s
parents weren’t free to praise God, because ‘… anyone saying Jesus was the Messiah would be expelled from the synagogue.’ ( John 9:22 NLT ) To the neighbours he was a misfit, to church leaders a topic of debate, to his parents a social stigma, so they ‘… threw him out .’ ( John 9:34 NIV ) End of story? Thank God—no! ‘ Jesus...found him... and said, “...I have come into this world, so that the blind will see... ”’ ( John 9:35 , 39 NIV)

So instead of rehashing your problem and listening to other people’s opinions, take it to the Lord in prayer. When you share it with others, the best you’ll get is sympathy, but when you share it with Jesus you’ll get a solution.

SoulFood: 1 Chr 16-18 , Mark 5:21-30 , Ps 119:49-56 , Prov 21:4-6

It has been ages!

Please house, any idea as to how I can get this devotional here in Nigeria? I would like to share it with a group of young people...